The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-01-13


covered with dew drops, but I1oki, that
mean old hussy, wouldn't shed tear.
The poor, innocent mistletoe shed foods
of tears that were so full Of pity the tears
turned to white, pearly berries, and so
the mistletoe has for centuries been re-
garded as an evergreen of love and pity,
and is mingled with the ivy and the lau'
rel in our Christmas decorations. For a
long time it was believed that promise
made under mistletoe bough was sacred
and would certainly be performed. And
so it was a common custom for lovers to
stand under it on Christmas night and
make their marriage VOWS. When made
that way, they did not care to break
them for it was like breaking an oath
before heaven.
But Baldur's soul was not released,
and all they could do was to bury his
body with great and imposing ceremo'
nies.
Now, children, these superstitions are
all fancy, as you know, and yet it is hu-
hum nature to love them. We are all
fond of anything that is marvellous, espe-
cially ifit turns out we'll for the good.
We love to read the Arabian Nights and
we rejoice with Alibaba who outwitted
the forty thieves, and with Aladdin who
found the wonderful lamp. Just so we
rejoice with Cinderella for marrying the
prince, and we take comfort in it,
although we know it never happened.
1t is human nature to want good to tri-
umph over bad, and on this heavenly
trait in our humanity is our government
and our social system aforesaid.
You know all about st. Nicholas and
Santa Claus, and where that pleasant
superstition came from, but tue tradi'
tions of the Germans about the good
Knight Rubert are just as good, and, I
think, are more stimulating to the chill
dren. In every village Knight Rupert
comes out just after twelve O'Clock, and
nobody knows where he came from. He
has q beautiful sleigh and four fine
horses, all dressed up in silver spangles
and silver bells, and he dashes around
from house to house and calls out the
mother and whispers something to her
and she whispers something to him, and
he bows his head and wags his long gray
beard and dashes away to the next house.
You see be is going around to find out
from the mothers which ones Of her chill.
dren have been good and which ones
have been bad so as to know what pres
ants to bring and how many. II the
good mother says sorrowtully, "Well,
Knight Rupert, my Tom has no: been
good boy; be is not kind to his sisters
and he is selfish and has fights with other
boys, and he won't study at school, but
hope he will get to be better; so please
bring Tom some little thing, won't you"
She is obliged to tell the truth on all her
children, and it goes very hard with her
sometime. So after Knight Rupert has
been all around he drives away about
dark and nobody knows where he went
to. That night he brings the presents
while the children are all asleep, and
sure enough Tom don't get anything.
Now that is what they pretend to believe,
but of course Knight Rupert is some
good jolly fellow about town, and be is
bundled up and disguised aud cuts up
Just such figure as old Santa Claus does
in the pictures.
The year is almost gone and all of us
ought to stop minute and think about
how much good we have done since the
last Christmas. How many times we
have tried to make our kindred happy
not only our kindred, but our nabors and
companions. As came out of the
Markham house, in Atlanta, one cold
morning, two little dirty newsboys came
running to me from opposite directions
to sell me paper. They are are not al.
lowed to go inside the hotels to sell pa
pers, and so they stand outside in the
cold and watch for the men to come
out. One of these boys was stout lad
of ten wears, and the other was a little
puny, pale face, barefooted chap, and,
although he was the farthest off, he got
to me first. said to the biggest boy,
"Wby diden't you run? You could
have got here first" He smiled, and
said, II dident want to-" "Why not ?"
said I. "Is that boy your brother?'
"No, sir" said he, "but he's little, and
he's been sick" Now, that was kindness
that will do for Christmas or any other
day. 1 gave them dime apiece, and
they were happy for little while
Children, you can't do big thing you
can do a little thing like that.
wouldent let the little ragged newsboys
get ahead of me.
We keep Grier's almanac at our house.
We get good many almanacs from the
merchants as advertisements, but Grier's
is the old standard and is the one that
is always hung by the mantle. lfyou
have that kind at your house and will
look at the bottom of the last page to see
what kind of weather we are to have this
Christmas week you will find it put
down this way: "Be thanful for all the
blessings you have enjoyed this year and
try to do better the next" That is q
curious kind of weather but it is mighty
good weather. BILL ARP.
A Terrible Accident.
FopT WAYNE. Ind. January 1.-Aj